Characteristics of the rewarder and intrinsic motivation of the rewardee.

Considered the relationship between teacher characteristics and the intrinsic motivation and self-esteem of 889 children in Grades 4–6. The research evolved out of E. L. Deci's (1971, 1972, 1975) cognitive evaluation theory, which distinguishes between the controlling and informational aspects of rewards. It was hypothesized that Ss whose teachers were oriented toward controlling them would be less intrinsically motivated and have lower self-esteem than Ss whose teachers were oriented toward supporting autonomy. It was reasoned that control-oriented teachers would tend to use rewards controllingly, whereas autonomy-oriented teachers would tend to use rewards informationally. Data support the hypothesis and also indicate that Ss perceived autonomy-oriented teachers as facilitating personal responsibility and internal control more than control-oriented teachers. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)